Some shows on TV tend to air for many years, but how long is too long?

NBC’s “ER,” which airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m., is now in its fifteenth and final season. Being a fan of the show, I’m sad to see it go, but at the same time, I feel it’s for the better.

“ER’s” original air date of September 1994 has brought its viewers fourteen years of laughter and tears as its team of doctors tackle the most intriguing medical cases. Doctors have come and gone in some of the most tear-jerking ways and the viewers have become glued to the TV for every moment.

But, in certain respects, how many times can County General Hospital get blown up? How many more times can the doctors and patients be held hostage? It gets old after awhile.

Most seem to think that after George Clooney left the show in season five, the show went into a downward spiral. I didn’t start watching the show until just before Clooney left, but I do have to agree that he was a great contributor to the show.

Maybe it’s best to let “ER” rest in peace. “Grey’s Anatomy” will be the new “ER.”